Calculation of noise barrier performance using the substitute-sources method for a three-dimensional turbulent atmosphere

Journal article, 2002

Substitute sources between a noise barrier and a receiver are used to calculate the effect of atmospheric turbulence on barrier sound reduction. The method is extended for application to three-dimensional situations with both high and low barriers. Calculations are made for a thin, hard screen, without the influence of a ground surface. The Kirchhoff approximation is applied for the low screens and a more accurate diffraction model is used for the higher screens. The calculated results are compared with corresponding ones for two-dimensional situations, by using the substitute-sources method (SSM) also. The two and three-dimensional calculations give very similar results, which indicates that, for a large variety of situations, only two-dimensional models are needed. The results are also compared with those obtained using a scattering cross-section method which, although it predicts a much weaker influence of turbulence than the SSM, shows mostly the same trend, namely that the turbulence influence is large only within a range of lower screen heights.